OniYersity  ol  the  State 

Entered  as  second-class  matter  August  2,  1913,  at  the  Post  Office  at  Albany,  N.  Y., 
under  the  act  of  August  24,  1912 


Published  fortnightly 


No.  708 


PAGE 


Ultimate  aims 3 

Care  of  the  singing  voice 3 

Teaching  the  language 4 

First  year 5 

Second  year 7 

Third  year 9 

Fourth  year 13 

Fifth  year.  14 

Sixth  year 16 


PAGE 


Seventh  year 16 

Eighth  year 17 

Manuals  for  teachers 17 

Music  textbooks  for  children 17 

Rote  song  books  18 

Seventh  and  Eighth  Grades. ....  18 

Supplementary  sight  reading  ma- 
terial   19 

Texts  for  supplementary  reading.  19 


ALBANY 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 

I920 


Gl04r-My20-5000  (7-8069) 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


Regents  of  the  University 
With  years  when  terms  expire 

(Revised  to  July  is,  1920) 

1926  Puny  T.  Sexton  LL.B.  LL.D.  Chancellor  - - Palmyra 

1927  Albert  Vander  Veer  M.D.  M.A.  Ph.D.  LL.D. 

Vice  Chancellor  Albany 

1922  Chester  S.  Lord  M.A.  LL.D. Brooklyn 

1930  William  Nottingham  M.A.  Ph.D.  LL.D.  - - Syracuse 

1924  Adelbert  Moot  LL.D. Buffalo 

1925  Charles  B.  Alexander  M.A.  LL.B.  LL.D. 

Litt.D. - Tuxedo 

1928  Walter  Guest  Kellogg  B.A.  LL.D.  - - - Ogdensburg 

1932  James  Byrne  B.A.  LL.B.  LL.D. New  York 

1929  Herbert  L.  Bridgman  M.A.  LL.D.  - - - - Brooklyn 

1931  Thomas  J.  Mangan  M.A. Binghamton 

1921  William  J.  Wallin  M.A. Yonkers 

1923  William  Bondy  M.A.  LL.B.  Ph.D.  - - - - New  York 


President  of  the  University  and  Commissioner  of  Education 

John  H.  Finley  M.A.  LL.D.  L.H.D. 

Deputy  Commissioner  and  Counsel 

Frank  B.  Gilbert  B.A.  LL.D. 

Assistant  Commissioner  and  Director  of  Professional  Education 

Augustus  S.  Downing  M.A.  Pd.D . L.H.D.  LL.D. 

Assistant  Commissioner  for  Secondary  Education 

Charles  F.  Wheelock  B.S.  LL.D. 

Assistant  Commissioner  for  Elementary  Education 

George  M.  Wiley  M.A.  LL.D. 

Director  of  State  Library 

James  I.  Wyer,  Jr,  M.L.S.  Pd.D. 

Director  of  Science  and  State  Museum 

John  M.  Clarke  D.Sc.  LL.D. 

Chiefs  and  Directors  of  Divisions 

Administration,  Hiram  C.  Case 

Agricultural  and  Industrial  Education,  Lewis  A.  Wilson 
Archives  and  History,  James  Sullivan  M.A.  Ph.D. 
Attendance,  James  D.  Sullivan 
Educational  Extension,  William  R.  Watson  B.S. 
Examinations  and  Inspections,  Avery  W.  Skinner  B.A. 
Law,  Frank  B.  Gilbert  B.A.  LL.D.,  Counsel 
Library  School,  James  I.  Wyer,  Jr,  M.L.S.  Pd.D. 

School  Buildings  and  Grounds,  Frank  H.  Wood  M.A. 
School  Libraries,  Sherman  Williams  Pd.D. 

Visual  Instruction,  Alfred  W.  Abrams  Ph.B. 


c 

fl/Y 

*>o.  7 (jf 

Dniversity  ol  the  State  oi  Hew  York  Bulletin 

Entered  as  second-class  matter  August  2,  1913,  at  the  Post  Office  at  Albany,  N.  Y., 
under  the  act  of  August  24, 1912 

Published  fortnightly 


No.  70S  ALBANY,  N.  Y.  April  15,  1920 


Elementary  Syllabus 

MUSIC 


The  course  in  music  here  outlined  covers  eight  years  and  assumes 
that  not  less  than  fifteen  minutes  a day  shall  be  given  to  class 
instruction.  Regardless  of  grades  or  of  thj^e  the  work 

outlined  for  the  first  year  must  be  mastered  beioWy»fna(/^bf ithe 
second  year  is  attempted.  The  same  princiftleA.must  be  appliea  to 
the  work  of  each  successive  grade.  ^ ' 2 7 /(^C 

AIMS  U^SITY  of  IL, 

Among  the  ultimate  aims,  the  two  following  should  always 'be 
kept  in  mind  by  the  teacher:  (i)  on  the  emotional  side,  the  joy 
which  music  brings  into  the  life  of  the  child;  (2)  on  the  physical 
side,  the  well-modulated  and  controlled  voice  which  is  always  an 
evidence  of  good  teaching.  These  ends  can  be  accomplished  only 
through  the  balanced  study  of  music  both  as  an  art  and  as  a science. 

The  appreciation  of  the  art  of  music  involves  continual  asso- 
ciation with  good  music.  This  association  includes  the  participation 
in  and  the  hearing  of  the  good.  While  the  child  can  not  participate 
in  many  of  the  masterpieces,  nevertheless  these  masterpieces  can  be 
brought  to  him  through  instrumental  and  other  means. 

The  understanding  of  the  science  of  music  involves  the  mastery 
of  the  mechanics  of  the  subject,  which  are  as  exact  and  definite  as 
are  those  of  language  and  mathematics.  The  understanding  of  the 
science  of  music,  therefore,  is  fundamental  to  the  full  appreciation’ 
of  the  art. 

CARE  OF  THE  SINGING  VOICE 

The  most  important  feature  of  music  teaching  in  the  schools  is 
the  securing  of  correct  tone  quality.  The  one  true  and  safe  way 
for  children  to  sing  is  with  a sweet,  mellow,  flutelike  and  musical 
tone  which  is  produced  without  effort  or  strain.  The  teacher’s 
ear  must  be  trained  to  recognize  this  quality  of  tone.  She  should 
learn  to  secure  and  maintain  it  at  all  times.  The  teacher  can  hear 

[ 3 1 


4 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


it  by  having  several  children  sing  softly  the  pitch  D,  fourth  line, 
treble  staff,  with  the  syllable  " loo.” 


thus 


I 


■ Loo,  loo,  loo.  This  quality  of  tone 


should  be  used  throughout  the  compass  of  the  voice. 

The  compass  of  the  music  used  in  the  first  year  should  not 


extend  above  F,  fifth  line 


i 


nor  below  E flat,  first  line 


The  compass  may  be  extended  a half-step  above  and 


below,  each  year,  for  two  years. 

The  first  songs  and  studies  should  begin  with  upper  tones.  The 
ascending  scale,  and  songs  beginning  with  low  tones,  should  be 
avoided  at  first. 

The  true  singing  voice  of  the  little  child  is  very  light.  Unless 
constant  care  and  intelligent  direction  are  given  to  tone  production, 
the  tone  will  inevitably  degenerate  into  harsh,  throaty,  unmusical 
quality,  injurious  alike  to  the  voice  and  to  the  musical  sense. 

Careful  study  of  one  or  more  of  the  following  books,  all  of  which 
are  inexpensive,  will  be  of  invaluable  assistance  to  the  teacher : 


Howard,  F.  E.  The  Child  Voice  in  Singing.  H.  W.  Gray  Co. 

Hardy,  T.  Haskell.  How  to  Train  Children’s  Voices.  J.  Curwen  & Sons 
Curwen,  J.  Spencer.  The  Boy’s  Voice.  J.  Curwen  & Sons 
Rix,  Frank  R.  Voice  Training  for  School  Children. 

Nicholls,  Margaret.  School  Choir  Training.  Novello  & Co. 


TEACHING  THE  LANGUAGE 

(Reading  and  Writing  Music) 

The  first  steps  in  music  are  very  much  like  the  first  steps  in 
learning  English,  French  or  any  other  spoken  language.  The 
pupil  first  learns  through  imitation  to  speak  the  language.  When  a 
certain  facility -in  oral  expression  is  attained,  the  pupil  is  ready  for 
the  second  step,  namely,  the  recognition  of  symbols  representing 
thought. 

The  medium  for  thought  and  expression  in  language  consists  of 
words.  The  medium  for  thought  and  expression  in  music  consists 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS MUSIC 


5 


of  tones  and  rhythms ; these  are  the  “ words  ” of  the  tone  language. 
Ability  to  recognize  and  use  this  medium  is  as  necessary  to  thought 
and  its  oral  expression  in  music,  as  are  words  to  the  spoken 
language. 


FIRST  YEAR 
First  Term 

Matching  tones.  Individual  attention  daily  to  those  who  can  not 
match  tones. 

Simple  rote  songs. 

Second  Term 

Rote  songs,  including  scale  songs,  the  so  fa  syllables  used  as  an 
additional  stanza. 

The  scale.  Systematic  practice  of  scale  with  syllable  names. 

Aural  recognition : 

a Simple  melodic  groups  of  scale  tones.  The  teacher  sings  with 
a neutral  syllable,  the  pupil  or  class  responds,  singing  the  syllables. 

b Two  and  three-part  measure.  The  teacher  sings  or  plays  a 
melody,  the  children  listen  and  try  to  recognize  the  measure. 

Representation  (on  blackboard  by  teacher).  Melodic  groups  of 
scale  tones  without  skips  (whole  notes). 

Reading.  From  chart  or  blackboard,  groups  like  those  previously 
recognized  and  sung. 

Suggestions  to  Teachers 

The  first  years  work  must  be  mastered  before  going  on  with  the 
second  year. 

Music,  being  a tone  language,  is  learned  through  the  sense  of 
hearing;  all  problems  are  therefore  best  presented  orally.  No 
symbol  or  representation  should  be  introduced  until  the  thing  repre- 
sented is  known  to  the  pupil. 

Each  teacher  should  be  provided  with  a staff-liner  and  with  a 
chromatic  pitch  pipe,  unless  a piano  or  an  organ  is  at  hand.  The 
compass  and  character  of  the  songs  have  a vital  influence  on  the 
tone  quality.  Songs  and  studies,  pitched  too  high  or  low,  will  cause 
serious  deterioration  of  the  tone  quality. 

The  first  step  is  to  find  which  pupils  can  not  match  tones.  These 
should  have  individual  assistance  each  day  until  they  can  join  in 
the  singing. 


6 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


“ Playing  engine  ” with  the  so-called  monotones  is  a simple 
and  effective  way  to  eliminate  the  nonsingers.  The  teacher  sings 

and  the  child  tries  to  imitate  the  tone.  Suc- 


Too,  too,  too 

cess  depends  upon  the  ability  of  the  teacher  to  awaken  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  child  and  lead  him  to  think  the  light,  high-placed  tone. 

No  child  should  ever  be  told  that  he  is  a monotone.  Very  few 
children  are  real  monotones.  Under  a teacher  who  intelligently 
follows  the  above  simple  plan,  nearly  all  the  nonsingers  will  be 
able  to  match  tones  after  a few  weeks,  although  at  the  beginning  of 
the  first  year,  one-third  or  one-half  the  class  may  be  unable  to  do  so. 

The  sense  of  rhythm  may  be  awakened  and  trained  by  the  use 
of  rhythmic  motions  to  music,  singing  games  and  folk  dancing. 
These  activities  are  strongly  recommended  as  a part  of  the  first 
year's  work.  The  type  of  singing  games  demanding  vigorous 
physical  exercise  while  singing  should  be  carefully  avoided.  Songs 
for  the  first  year  should  not  be  long.  Both  words  and  music  should 
be  of  the  simplest  character. 

The  teaching  of  rote  songs  is  the  most  important  part  of  the  teach- 
er’s work  during  the  first  year.  Just  how  a rote  song  is  to  be  taught 
depends  on  conditions,  such  as  the  character  of  the  words  and  the 
age  of  the  class.  No  stereotyped  method  is  necessary  or  desirable, 
yet  there  are  certain  features  which  are  common  to  every  success- 
ful presentation. 

1 The  teacher’s  singing  voice  should  be  safe  for  the  child  to 
imitate.  Every  woman  singer,  whether  soprano  or  contralto,  can 
learn  to  use  a light,  pleasant  quality  and  can  sing  the  songs  at  the 
proper  pitch.  The  contralto  possesses  the  light,  upper  tones  and 
should  learn  to  use  them.  The  teacher  should  never  change  the 
pitch  of  the  song  because  of  a notion  that  she  can  not  sing  the  high 
tones.  Songs  often  need  to  be  transposed  to  higher  keys. 

2 The  songs  should  first  be  thoroughly  learned  by  the  teacher  and 
then  sung  to  the  children  as  artistically  as  possible.  The  children 
will  imitate  an  artistic  performance.  They  will  also  imitate  a crude, 
unmusical  interpretation. 

3 The  entire  song  should  be  sung  to  the  children  several  times, 
the  children  listening,  then  imitating.  After  the  first  phrase  is  sung 
accurately,  the  second  is  taken  up  in  a like  manner.  The  two  are 
then  sung  together,  and  so  on. 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS  — MUSIC 


7 


4 The  melody  must  be  accurately  sung  by  the  pupil.  Even  one 
mistake  in  tone  or  rhythm  causes  serious  trouble  and  loss  of  time. 
After  a class  has  learned  a melody  incorrectly,  it  often  takes  longer 
to  correct  the  error  than  to  learn  a new  song. 

5 The  words  must  be  sung  distinctly  and  naturally.  Extra- 
ordinary care  is  necessary  to  prevent  misunderstandings  and  mis- 
pronunciations by  the  children. 

6 Too  much  should  not  be  attempted  at  one  lesson.  Half  a stanza 
well  learned  is  better  than  two  stanzas  half  learned. 

Rote  songs  may  also  be  taught  successfully  by  means  of  grapha- 
phone  or  phonograph  records.  Not  only  the  words  and  melody  but 
phrasing,  tone  quality,  and  other  important  features  of  good  singing 
may  be  learned  from  the  record.  The  use  of  carefully  selected 
records  is  strongly  recommended  for  all  grades  from  the  kinder- 
garten to  the  high  school  as  a means  of  musical  education.  Quicken- 
ing of  the  tonal  and  rhythmic  sense,  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  in 
music,  familiarity  with  a variety  of  forms  and  with  a large  repertoire 
of  good  music  — these  valuable  results  may  be  obtained  from  a 
judicious  use  of  self-playing  instruments  in  the  schools  and  in  the 
home. 


SECOND  YEAR 
First  Term 

Rote  songs. 

The  scale.  Varied  practice  of  the  major  scale  including  the  com- 
pletion of  the  scale  from  any  tone  after  the  pitch  of  do  has  been 
changed  — that  is,  continuing  the  scale  practice  from  the  new 
pitch.  For  example, 

i£g-'  -jy-  # -in 

Do  ti  la  so  fa  mi  do , Do  re  mi  fa  so  do,  Do  ti  la  so  fa 

Aural  recognition. 

a Recognizing  and  singing  groups  of  scale  tones.  Skips  of  a 
third  and  all  the  skips  of  the  tonic  chord. 

b Recognizing  two  and  three-part  measure. 

Representation.  The  teacher  places  on  the  blackboard  short, 
simple  melodies  in  two-part  and  three-part  measure,  without  bars 


8 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


or  measure  signature.  The  teacher  sings  while  the  children  listen 
and  beat  the  measure.  Then  a child  indicates  the  accent  and  places 
the  bars. 

Reading.  From  blackboard  or  chart. 

Writing.  The  teacher  sings  melodic  groups  of  scale  tones  with 
a neutral  syllable,  the  pupil  responds  singing  with  the  syllable  names, 
then  represents  the  tones  on  the  blackboard. 

Second  Term 

First  term  activities  continued. 

Reading  from  book. 

Suggestions  to  Teachers 

The  first  book  to  be  used  by  the  pupil,  presumably  begun  in  the 
second  term,  should  contain  very  simple  material  furnishing 
abundant  practice  in  the  limited  “ vocabulary  ” of  tone  and  rhythm 
which  has  been  acquired  by  oral  practice  and  blackboard  repre- 
sentation. The  music  reading  vocabulary  of  these  pupils  consists 
of  those  tonal  and  rhythmic  problems  which  they  know  and 
recognize,  first  through  the  ear,  and  later  through  the  eye,  by  means 
of  blackboard  representation. 

The  time  for  beginning  the  use  of  the  book,  and  the  length  of 
time  to  be  taken  for  preliminary  training,  should  be  determined  by 
the  advancement  rather  than  by  the  grade  or  age  of  the  class.  An 
upper-grade  class,  beginning  the  study  of  music,  might  do  the  first 
and  second  years’  work  in  one  year,  while  conditions  might  exist 
where  three  years  should  be  taken  to  do  the  work  outlined  for  the 
first  two  years. 

Reading  is  getting  definite  thought  from  the  representation.  As 
soon  as  the  pupil  can  hear  the  tones  and  sense  the  rhythm  as  he 
looks  at  the  representation,  he  is  ready  to  begin  to  read,  but  not 
before. 

The  pupil  should  form  the  habit  of  reading  silently  — hearing 
the  melody  with  the  “ inner  ear  ” — before  reading  aloud.  Reading 
by  individual  pupils  should  be  a regidar  feature  and  is  quite  as 
essential  in  music  as  in  English. 

The  Study  of  Intervals 

The  study  of  larger  intervals  (skips)  should  be  a part  of  the  oral 
work  throughout  the  year.  When  the  pupil  makes  an  error  he 
should  be  led  to  correct  it  by  thinking  the  intervening  scale  tones. 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS MUSIC 


9 


If  he  fails  to  sing 


for  example,  he  can  dis- 


cover and  correct  the  mistakes  by  thinking,  or  if  necessary  by  sing- 
ing aloud,  the  intervening  tones.  This  method  of  correcting  errors 
is  applicable  to  all  grades. 


THIRD  YEAR 

Tonal  development.  Oral  presentation  of  chromatic  tones  through 
imitation  — di(ffi),  ri(ff2),  4),  si(# 5),  and  li(ff6).  Oral 
preparation  for  two-part  singing  both  through  the  practice  of 
rounds  and  by  the  sustaining  of  simple  consonances,  principally 
thirds  and  sixths. 

Rhythmic  development.  Introduction  of  two  equal  tones  to  one 
beat. 

Reading.  Book  or  books  containing  abundant  sight  reading 
material,  and  art  songs  to  be  learned  partly  by  rote. 

Writing.  On  music  paper  or  in  music  writing  book;  copying 
symbols;  writing  from  dictation. 


Suggestions  to  Teachers 

Introduction  of  chromatic  tones,  Di  ri,  fi,  si  and  li.  Each  of 
these  chromatic  tones  is  closely  related  and  leads  strongly  to  the 
scale  tone  just  above,  as  ti  is  related  and  leads  to  do. 

Each  new  tone,  together  with  the  scale  tone  to  which  it  is  closely 
related,  should  be  constantly  compared  with  do  ti  do.  For  example 


jt 


sounds  like 


so  fi  so 


$ 


Again 


sounds  like 


re  di  re 


P 


do  ti  do 

and  both 


do  ti  do 


sound  like 


P 


and  so  on. 


so  fi  so 


Pupils  will  readily  see  that  the  syllable  for  the  new  tone  just  above 
the  scale  tone  is  the  scale  tone  syllable  changed  to  end  with  the  long 
ee  sound:  do  di,  re  ri,  fa  fi,  so  si,  and  la  li.  They  will  also  discover 


10 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


for  themselves,  that  there  is  no  tone  between  mi  and  fa  nor  between 
ti  and  do. 

The  following  sequential  study  should  now  be  taught  by  imitation, 
and  practised  until  each  child  can  sing  it  individually : 


Special  care  should  be  given  to  ti  li  ti;  there*  will  be  found  a 
decided  tendency  to  sing  the  tone  li  flat  of  the  pitch. 

No  representation  of  the  new  tones,  and  consequently  no  sight 
reading  material  containing  these  tones,  should  be  employed  until 
the  pupils  are  able  to  recognize  them  readily  in  oral  ear  training 
studies. 


Introduction  of  Two  Equal  Tones  to  One  Beat 

The  teacher  sounds  the  key  tone  and  directs  the  class  to  beat  and 
sing  the  descending  and  ascending  scale  thus: 


It  is  assumed  that  the  pupils  clearly  understand  that  the  first  tone 
is  sung  with  the  first  beat,  and  the  second  tone  with  the  second 
beat,  etc. 


The  teacher  then  sings  the  following: 


and  asks, 

“ When  did  I sing  the  first  tone  ? ” 

Pupils : “ With  the  first  beat.” 

Teacher : “ The  second  tone  ? ” 

Pupils : “ After  the  first  beat.” 

The  teacher  repeats  this  several  times  and  then  beats  and  sings: 


-li  t V ^ 

— — M 

I-  r r®  ^ fflZ  TmTai*  r »* 

lk\  r c?  /»  u ^ i Ji-Ufe a? 

0 i 

ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS MUSIC 


II 


continuing  until  the  accent  falls  on  the  upper  do,  while  the  class 
beats  the  measure  and  listens.  Many  of  the  pupils  will  immediately 
double  the  tempo,  giving  one  beat  to  each  tone,  thus  demonstrating 
that  they  are  thinking  one  tone,  instead  of  two,  to  each  beat.  Before 
asking  the  class  to  sing,  the  teacher  should  see  that  each  pupil  beats 
the  measure  correctly  while  he  is  singing.  The  pupils  should  be 
reminded  repeatedly  that  the  first  tone  is  sung  with  the  beat  and  the 
next  one  after  the  beat.  The  class  may  now  beat  and  sing  the  scale 
in  the  same  manner.  This  and  other  exercises  having  the  same 
object  should  be  practised  daily  until  each  pupil  fully  senses  two 
even  tones  to  the  beat. 

Unless  the  beat  is  indicated  in  some  way  by  the  pupil,  the  teacher 
has  no  way  of  determining  whether  or  not  the  pupil  is  thinking 
correctly. 

Rhythm  drills  conducted  in  various  ways  should  follow,  including 
the  following  rhythms : 

n j 

•n  x 

J 7 «T  7 jdt «_ 

When  the  feeling  for  the  new  rhythm  is  fully  sensed,  the  class 
should  sing  much  simple  sight  reading  material  which  freely  uses 
these  new  rhythms.  This  activity  should  continue  throughout  the 
year. 

Preparation  for  Two-part  Singing 
(No  representation;  entirely  oral) 

Part  singing  is  a tonal  problem.  Until  now  the  pupil  has  been 
matching  tones.  Now  he  is  asked  to  sing  a tone  while  hearing 
another.  This  is  a real  difficulty  which  requires  time,  practice  and 
concentration  to  overcome. 

The  simplest  combination  of  tones  without  skips  in  either  part, 
should  be  practised  first.  Sustained  tones,  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  compass,  are  most  desirable  in  order  that  only  the  light,  mellow 
tones  may  be  used. 


12 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


The  teacher  separates  the  class  into  two  divisions  as  nearly  equal 
in  numbers  and  singing  ability  as  possible.  The  directions  are  given 
orally  as  follows:  “Section  one  may  sing  and  hold,  so;  section 
two  may  sing,  so  fa  mi”  At  a signal  from  the  teacher  the  class 
sings  this  and  similar  combinations  as  follows : 


The  two  sections  should  change  parts  so  that  each  child  may 
learn  to  sing  both  the  upper  and  lower  parts. 

A moment  should  be  spent  with  this  oral  practice  frequently  until 
the  pupils  gain  the  power  to  sing  one  tone  and  listen  to  another. 

The  danger  of  forcing  the  tone  is  always  imminent  in  two-part 
singing.  By  the  use  of  the  soft,  “ head  ” quality,  and  by  first  using 
the  upper  tones,  the  class  will  sing  in  tune  and  will  quickly  acquire 
the  ability  to  sing  in  parts. 

The  study  of  two-part  music  should  be  delayed  until  the  ear 
problem  is  solved,  thus  avoiding  many  of  the  difficulties  usually 
encountered  in  beginning  part  singing.  This  oral  preparation  care- 
fully and  patiently  conducted  will  enable  the  class  to  sing  in  two 
parts  easily  and  successfully  in  the  fourth  year.  No  two-part  songs 
or  studies,  other  than  the  foregoing  or  similar  preparatory  studies, 
should  be  used  during  the  third  year. 

Songs 

Some  of  the  songs  can  now  be  wholly  read  at  sight.  The  more 
elaborate  art  songs  should  be  taught  by  rote.  The  tone  should  be 
free  and  mellow,  the  enunciation  distinct,  and  the  pronunciation 
natural,  as  in  good  reading.  Pupils  should  be  encouraged  to  take 
breath  deliberately.  A hurried,  “ catch  ” breath  leads  to  bad  breath- 
ing habits  and  unsatisfactory  phrasing.  It  is  usually  unwise  for 
the  grade  teacher  to  give  breathing  exercises,  but  it  is  most  impor- 
tant that  pupils  be  encouraged  to  breathe  deeply,  and  that  they  be 
given  sufficient  time  to  breathe  properly  between  phrases. 

Children  should  be  taught  to  sit  or  stand  erect  while  singing,  with 
the  chest  active  and  the  head  up.  A full  breath  expands  the  lungs 
all  around  the  waist  line.  Neither  the  chest  nor  the  shoulders  should 
be  lifted  when  the  breath  is  taken.  The  lower  jaw  should  drop 
easily  and  the  tip  of  the  tongue  should  touch  the  lower  front  teeth. 
The  lower  jaw,  tongue  and  lips  should  be  relaxed  while  singing. 
A stiff  jaw  and  tongue  make  good  singing  impossible. 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS MUSIC 


13 


FOURTH  YEAR 

Tonal  problems.  Oral  presentation  through  imitation  of  te  (by), 
le(b6),  se(b$),  me(b$),  and  ra(b2).  Introduction  of  the  minor 
scale  by  imitation. 

Rhythmic  problems.  Introduction  of  six-part  measure.  Oral 
presentation  of  three  and  four  tones  to  the  beat.  Rhythms 
including  those  involving  the  dot  placed  after 


the  beat-note ; for  example : 


Reading.  Book  or  books  furnishing  abundant  material  for  sight 
reading.  This  may  include  simple  material  for  the  reading  of  words 
and  music  simultaneously. 

Two-part  music  consisting  of  rounds  and  canons,  and  other 
music  in  which  the  parts  cross ; all  very  simple. 

Art  songs. 

Writing.  Written  lessons  on  music  paper  or  in  music  writing 
book. 

Suggestions  to  Teachers 

Each  of  the  new  chromatic  tones,  te,  le,  se,  me  and  ra,  has  the 
same  relation  to  the  scale  tone  just  above,  as  fa  has  to  mi.  For 
example,  la  te  la  sounds  like  mi  fa  mi.  Constant  comparison  of 
la  te  la  with  mi  fa  mi  which  is  already  known  to  the  pupil,  will 
fix  the  new  tone  in  the  memory. 

Pupils  should  be  led  to  discover  that  the  syllable  for  the  new  tone 
just  below  the  scale  tone  is  the  scale  tone  syllable,  changed  to  end 
with  the  long  a sound  represented  by  the  Italian  e:  ti  te,  la  le,  so  se, 
mi  me.  Inasmuch  as  the  syllable  re  already  ends  with  the  a sound, 
it  was  necessary  to  use  another,  so  a was  chosen  (re,  ra). 

The  following  study  should  be  practised  until  each  singing  child 
can  sing  it  individually : 


14 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


There  is  really  no  new  tonal  effect  in  the  use  of  any  of  the 
chromatic  tones ; only  a new  application  of  a known  combination  of 


tones.  With  this  relation  fully  known  to  the  pupil 

do  fi  so 

a ■T==:  is  no  more  difficult  than 

do  le  so  do  so 

Rounds  are  excellent  material  for  the  beginning  of  part  singing. 
The  round  is  first  sung  as  a unison  song.  Studies  in  which  the 
parts  cross  are  also  desirable.  Like  the  round,  this  form  of  two- 
part  music  compels  the  pupil  to  sing  both  the  upper  and  lower  parts, 
thus  protecting  the  voice  and  giving  each  pupil  the  power  to  sing 
either  part.  There  is  grave  danger  that  the  tone  will  suffer  after 
part  singing  begins. 

FIFTH  YEAR 

Tonal  problems.  Singing  of  minor  scale  — harmonic  form; 
singing  of  triads  without  representation  as  an  aid  to  part  singing. 

Rhythmic  problems.  Rhythms  involving  four  equal  tones  to  the 
beat  by  imitation,  for  example : 


Equivalents : 


Reading.  Books  containing  abundant  material,  both  songs  and 
studies,  one  and  two  parts;  development  of  power  to  read  words 
and  music  simultaneously. 

Writing.  Writing  tonal  groups  with  and  without  measures. 

Suggestions  to  Teachers 

The  time  when  words  should  be  applied  in  sight  reading  differs 
greatly  with  different  children,  and  can  not  be  determined  by  grades. 
Ability  in  this  direction  may  be  tested  as  early  as  the  third  grade 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS MUSIC  15 

by  means  of  melodies  much  more  simple  than  those  which  are 
read  fluently  by  syllable. 

The  power  to  read  the  English  text  is  being  steadily  developed  in 
studies  other  than  music ; reading  of  music  is  receiving  attention 
in  the  music  class  only.  The  attempt  to  read  the  two  languages 
simultaneously  before  the  pupil  possesses  the  power  to  read  each 
separately  with  a fair  degree  of  independence,  is  an  unfortunate 
waste  of  time. 

Whenever  sight  singing  of  words  and  music  is  begun,  right  habits 
should  be  developed.  The  pupil  should  be  taught  to  read  both  text 
and  music  phrase-wise,  reading  a line  of  words  at  a glance  and 
concentrating  attention  upon  the  melody.  Very  simple  material  is 
essential  for  this  purpose. 

The  age  and  advancement  of  the  pupils  now  admit  of  additional 
elementary  theory.  No  difficulty  will  be  found  with  rhythms  involv- 
ing four  tones  to  the  beat  provided  the  pupils  beat  the  measure 
steadily  and  think  the  four  tones  to  the  heat  in  each  case.  The 
application  of  the  new  tonal  and  rhythmic  features  in  the  sight 
reading  material,  after  they  are  introduced  and  understood,  is  of 
course  essential. 

It  is  assumed  that  the  pupils  will  be  supplied  with  an  abundance 
of  supplementary  material  for  sight  reading.  This  is  quite  as  neces- 
sary in  learning  to  read  music  as  it  is  in  learning  to  read  English. 
The  material  should  be  well  within  the  “ vocabulary  ” of  the  pupil, 
otherwise  sight  reading  is  impossible.  Much  practice  in  reading  is 
necessary  to  gain  facility.  Not  only  one  but  several  books  may  be 
read  in  a year,  as  in  English  classes.  This  is  possible  only  when 
the  teaching  is  clear  and  effective,  when  sight  reading  material  is 
available  which  is  well  within  the  power  of  the  class,  and  when 
there  is  adequate  time  allowed  for  the  subject. 

Pupils  should  become  familiar  with  the  musical  terms  in  common 
use.  The  constant  use  of  these  musical  terms  by  the  teacher 
when  occasion  arises  during  the  singing  of  songs,  will  soon  result 
in  the  addition  of  these  words  to  the  child’s  vocabulary.  For 
example,  if  a phrase  is  to  be  sung  smoothly  and  gracefully,  the 
teacher  will  use  the  term  legato,  the  explanation  of  the  term  being 
included  in  the  words  “ smoothly  and  gracefully.”  No  formal 
definitions  or  drill  is  necessary  or  desirable.  Following  are  the 
terms  most  commonly  used : lento,  andante,  andantino,  allegretto, 
allegro,  presto,  grazioso,  maestoso,  tempo  di  valse,  tempo  di  marcia , 
legato,  staccato,  sforzando,  pianissimo,  piano,  mezzo  piano,  mezzo 
forte,  forte,  fortissimo,  crescendo,  diminuendo . 


i6 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


SIXTH  YEAR 

Tonal  development.  Construction  of  the  major  scale;  singing  of 
minor  scale,  melodic  form;  singing  of  triads,  major  and  minor  and 
their  inversions;  singing  of  chromatic  scale. 

Rhythmic  development.  The  triplet:  the  duplet;  classification 
of  measure  — simple  measure  — duple,  triple  and  quadruple ; com- 
pound measure  — compound  duple,  compound  triple,  compound 
quadruple  syncopation;  practice  in  reading  from  the  bass  staff,  by 
both  boys  and  girls. 

Reading.  Books  containing  music  in  one,  two  and  three  parts 
with  plently  of  good  song  material ; practice  in  reading  from  the 
bass  staff,  by  both  boys  and  girls. 

Writing.  Written  lessons  including  scales  without  key  signatures. 
Practice  in  building  scales,  indicating  the  half-steps  and  tetrachords. 

Suggestions  to  Teachers 

The  advanced  work  as  here  outlined  should  be  undertaken  only 
by  pupils  who  have  mastered  the  preceding  steps.  Obviously  several 
years  must  elapse  in  any  system  of  schools  just  beginning  the 
systematic  study  of  music,  before  this  advanced  work  is  practicable. 

Whenever  the  pupil’s  voice  begins  to  mature,  classification 
becomes  necessary.  Assignment  to  a particular  part  is  then  desir- 
able, but  not  before.  Extraordinary  care  on  the  part  of  the  teacher 
is  necessary  at  this  period  to  avoid  misuse  of  and  injury  to  the 
voice.  Under  proper  conditions  most  boys  may  continue  to 
sing  during  adolescence.  There  are  cases,  however,  where  the 
condition  of  the  voice  demands  a cessation  from  all  singing  for 
a time. 


SEVENTH  YEAR 

Tonal  development.  Singing  of  the  dominant  seventh  chord  and 
its  resolution. 

Reading.  Larger  proportion  of  the  time  given  to  reading  words 
and  music  together.  Study  of  one,  two  and  three-part  songs  includ- 
ing melodies  written  on  the  bass  staff. 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS MUSIC 


17 


Writing.  The  F clef  and  bass  staff ; scales  and  melodies  written 
on  bass  staff;  writing  with  and  without  key  signatures;  trans- 
position; changing  melody  from  treble  staff  to  bass  staff  and  vice 
versa. 

Suggestions  to  Teachers 

The  girls,  as  well  as  the  boys,  should  learn  to  read  from  the  bass 
staff.  It  should  be  shown  clearly  that  boys  with  changed  voices 
singing  from  the  treble  staff,  singing  an  octave  below  the  representa- 
tion; that  girls,  or  boys  with  unchanged  voices,  singing  from  the 
bass  staff,  sing  an  octave  above  the  representation. 

Sight  reading  material  for  boys  whose  voices  have  changed,  and 
who  are  beginning  to  read  from  the  bass  staff,  should  be  tonally 
and  rhythmically  easy.  The  boy  with  the  “ new  voice  ” must  learn 
anew  to  use  his  singing  voice. 

EIGHTH  YEAR 

Practical  application  of  the  course  in  actual  singing  of  one, 
two,  and  three-part  music  is  recommended  for  the  eighth  year. 
Particular  attention  must  be  given  to  the  maturing  voices  and  to 
the  selection  of  suitable  music.  One,  two  and  three-part  music 
for  the  unchanged  (child)  voice,  or  three-part  music  for  soprano, 
second  soprano  and  bass,  should  be  selected. 

All  loud  and  strenuous  singing  is  exceedingly  dangerous  at  this 
time  when  the  voices  of  both  boys  and  girls  are  undergoing  a 
physical  change. 


MANUALS  FOR  TEACHERS 

Bowen,  G.  O.  Manual  of  music  for  teachers  of  elementary  schools.  A.  S. 
Barnes 

Crane,  J.  E.  Music  teacher’s  manual.  Julia  E.  Crane,  Potsdam,  N.  Y. 

Dann,  Hollis.  Complete  manual  for  ‘teachers.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Farnsworth,  C.  H.  Education  through  music.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Gherkens,  K.  W.  Music  notation  and  terminology.  A.  S.  Barnes 
Newton,  E.  W.  Music  in  the  public  schools.  Ginn 

Rice,  C.  I.  Worcester  music  manual.  Charles  I.  Rice,  Worcester,  Mass. 
Rix,  F.  R.  Manual  of  school  music.  Macmillan 
Smith,  Eleanor.  Teachers’  manual.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

MUSIC  TEXTBOOKS  FOR  CHILDREN 

Baldwin,  R.  L.  Progressive  Songs.  Ginn 

Congdon,  C.  H.  The  Congdon  Music  Primers,  and  Music  Readers.  C.  H. 
Congdon,  New  York  and  Chicago 


i8 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


Dann,  Hollis.  Music  course.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Johnstone,  A.  E.  & Loomis,  H.  W.  Lyric  music  series.  Scott,  Foresman  & 
Co. 

McLaughlin,  J.  M.  & Gilchrist,  W.  W.  New  educational  music  course. 
Ginn 

Parker,  Horatio,  McConathy,  Osbourne,  Birge,  E.  B.  & Miessner,  W.  O. 

Progressive  music  series.  Silver,  Burdett 
Ripley,  F.  H.  & Tapper,  Thomas.  Harmonic  music  course.  Am.  Bk  Co. 
Smith,  Eleanor.  Modern  music  series.  Silver,  Burdett 
Music  course.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Zuchtmann,  Frederick.  New  American  music  readers.  Macmillan 


ROTE  SONG  BOOKS 

Barbour,  F.  N.  Child-land  in  song  and  rhythm.  A.  P.  Schmidt 
Beach,  John.  Songs  from  a Child’s  Garden  of  Verses.  C.  C.  Birchard  & 
Co.  Boston 

Bentley,  A.  E.  The  song  primer.  A.  S.  Barnes 
Dann,  Hollis.  First  year  music.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Gaynor,  J.  S.  Songs  of  the  child  world.  Books  1-2.  John  Church  Co. 
Grant-Schaefer,  G.  A.  Thirty-six  songs  for  children.  C.  C.  Birchard  & Co. 
Knowlton,  F.  iS.  Nature  songs  for  children.  Milton  Bradley  Co. 
McGowan,  Beatrice.  Child  songs.  Clayton  Summy  Co.  Chicago 
McLaughlin,  J.  M.  & Gilchrist,  W.  W.  New  educational  music  course. 

Teachers’  edition  for  elementary  grades.  Ginn 
Miessner,  W.  O.  & Fox,  F.  C.  Art  song  cycles.  Books  1-2.  Silver,  Burdett 
Needham,  A.  A.  A child  in  song.  C.  C.  Birchard  & Co. 

Neidlinger,  W.  H.  Small  songs  for  small  singers.  G.  Schirmer 
Poulsson,  Emilie  & Smith,  Eleanor.  Songs  of  a little  child’s  day.  Milton 
Bradley  Co. 

Pratt,  S.  G.  Character  and  action  songs.  Ditson 
Pratt,  W.  S.  St  Nicholas  songs.  Century 

Riley,  A.  G.  & Gaynor,  J.  S.  Lilts  and  lyrics  for  the  school  room.  Clayton 
Summy 

Walker,  G.  A.  & Jenks,  H.  S.  Songs  and  games  for  little  ones.  Ditson 


SEVENTH  AND  EIGHTH  GRADES 

Armitage,  M.  T.  comp.  Junior  laurel  songs.  C.  C.  Birchard  & Co. 

Bryant,  Laura.  Christmas  carols  for  primary  and  grammar  grades.  Am. 

Bk  Co. 

Dann,  Hollis.  Assembly  songs,  v.  1.  H.  W.  Gray  Co. 

Commencement  trios.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Giddings  & Newton.  Junior  Song  and  Chorus  Book.  Ginn 
Rix,  F.  R.  Junior  assembly  song  book.  A.  S.  Barnes 
Shirley,  J.  B.  Part  songs  for  girls’  voices.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Tomlins,  W.  L.  Laurel  music  reader.  C.  C.  Birchard  & Co. 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS MUSIC 


19 


SUPPLEMENTARY  SIGHT  READING  MATERIAL 
Abbott,  A.  J.  Individual  singing  exercises.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Aiken,  W.  H.  Melody  studies  for  primary  grades.  Am.  Bk  Co. 

Bowen,  G.  O.  Graded  melodies  for  individual  sight-singing.  A.  S.  Barnes 
Newton,  E.  W.  Introductory  sight-singing  melodies.  Ginn  & Co. 

TEXTS  FOR  SUPPLEMENTARY  READING 

May  be  read  to  the  class  by  the  teacher  or  placed  in  the  school  library 
and  made  available  for  individual  pupils  in  grades  five  to  eight  inclusive. 
Gather,  K.  D.  Pan  and  his  pipes.  Victor  Talking  Machine  Co. 

Cox,  A.  C.  & Chapin,  A.  A.  Letters  from  great  musicians  to  young  people. 
G.  Schirmer 

Scoby,  K.  L.  & Horne,  O.  B.  Stories  of  great  musicians.  Am.  Bk  Co. 
Tapper,  Thomas.  Pictures  from  the  lives  of  great  composers  for  children. 
Theodore  Presser 


